Polaroid Sets Sights on GoPro With Tiny, Water-Resistant Cube Camera via Mashable
Polaroid, a company best known for its instant photographs, has launched the Cube, a tiny but durable full HD camera.
The Cube shoots 1080p video and captures 3MP photos with its 124-degree wide angle lens. The battery is built in and rechargeable using a USB cable (Micro SD card not included).
“Noted” items are particularly good finds from my daily reading which I share via all my social media accounts.
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Part of the Dog Days of Podcasting…
Making hard cider is very, very, easy and I show you how in this video. Things get very busy after only 1 day of fermentation.
More information on Douglas E. Welch and Careers in New Media:
Previously in the Dog Days of Podcasting 2014:
What is the Dog Days of Podcasting?
“Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.
In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.”
As someone who has spent their life working to support, train and educate people, I have learned again and again how important it is to be able to explain difficult concepts quickly and clearly. A good explanation can help everyone involved leap forward in their understanding and productivity. There are few tools as powerful as a good explanation to help people work to their highest potential, but there is a bit of an art to creating and delivering great explanations and answers to tough questions. Here are a few guidelines I have developed over the years to help me be better at explaining and always work towards making concepts and ideas clearer, not more confusing.
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Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners.
Know it all, then distill
In order to explain something clearly, you need to have knowledge that is both wide and deep. You need to understand every aspect of a task or problem, so you can determine what works best in any given situation. Unfortunately, this extensive knowledge is often your greatest impediment to explaining the concept or task to others. Since we know so much about the topic, we can be eager to share all that knowledge with others. Of course, those around us often don’t need (or want) that much detail. They need a basic understanding of the issue and a few good ways of dealing with that issue. When you try to unload every fact, figure and concept on them, they quickly “fill up” and tune out.
Instead, once you have gained your deep understanding, your next step is to distill that knowledge down to its very essence. Knowing what you now know, what are the most important facts that need to be shared? What advice, tips, rules, procedures can be developed that anyone — even without your deep knowledge — can use to be more productive, accurate, effective, whatever? It can be difficult to distill large amounts of knowledge down, but it is so critical. Your expertise comes not only from deep knowledge. If you can’t share it effectively, it is almost worse than not having the knowledge at all. Knowledge that can’t be share is wasted time, potential and productivity.
Less, then more
Always start with less information when communicating. Like the pyramid method taught in journalism school, start with most important piece of information first, then the next, then the next. Make sure that your listener clearly understands what you are saying at each point before moving on. Also, learn to recognize when they have enough information. Some may need only the basics while other may need, or desire, more detailed information to both better understand the issue themselves and be better able to explain to others. Each person is different. Each role is different. You’ll have to watch carefully for what each person needs from you and seek to provide that. Remember, the communication isn’t about you and your knowledge. It is about your listener’s wants and needs.
Use your listener’s language
When you are extremely knowledgeable about a topic, it is easy to fall into using the specific technical language of that topic when speaking to others. Don’t. Use the language of your listener so that they understand you best. Remember the last time you visited your doctor or dentist and they started talking about Maxillary lateral incisors and third metatarsels. Did you really understand them or just nod your head? I know I find myself stopping them and asking for simpler explanations all the time. Don’t be like them. While it may be important they they know and use their own very specific vocabulary, speaking in the patients own language greatly speeds and facilitates understanding.
Speak in your listener’s language. Use metaphors and examples from their life and work. If they are an artist, speak in artist’s terms of composition, balance and design. If they are a lawyer, you’ll need to be able to use basic and correct legal terminology to get your point across. If they work in finance, then financial metaphors and examples are your best tool. Don’t think that you can dazzle people with the brilliance of your own specialized vocabulary and language. They will simply stop listening. Trust me, I have explained the difference between RAM and Hard drive space more times than you can count and still the best metaphor I can use is that of the desktop and a file cabinet. I can talk bits, bytes and kilobytes until I am out of breath, but all they will hear is blah, blah,blah.
No matter how complex, technical or difficult an issue, always seek to make it clearer, not more confusing. Better knowledge, better quality and better productivity only comes from a clear understanding of an issue. If your explanation only adds to the confusion surrounding it, you are making your life — and the lives of those around you — much more difficult. Gain wide and deep knowledge. Distill that knowledge down to its essence and then communicate that essence using the language of your listener. This is just one more way to build the career you deserve and the careers of those around you.
***
WordPress 3.9.2 Security Release Out, Immediate Update Recommended via Search Engine Journal
WordPress 3.9.2 has just been rolled out as a security release for all previous versions. WordPress strongly recommends that you update your sites immediately.
This release fixes a possible denial of service issue in PHP’s XML processing, reported by Nir Goldshlager of the Salesforce.com Product Security Team. It was fixed by Michael Adams and Andrew Nacin of the WordPress security team and David Rothstein of the Drupal security team. This is the first time our two projects have coordinated joint security releases.
“Noted” items are particularly good finds from my daily reading which I share via all my social media accounts.
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Part of the Dog Days of Podcasting… 
Watch this video
More information on Douglas E. Welch and Careers in New Media:
Previously in the Dog Days of Podcasting 2014:
What is the Dog Days of Podcasting?
“Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.
In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.”
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Part of the Dog Days of Podcasting…
More information on Douglas E. Welch and Careers in New Media:
Previously in the Dog Days of Podcasting 2014:
What is the Dog Days of Podcasting?
“Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.
In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.”
Say “Hello” to these Pro Quality Phone Mics via PhotoJoJo
Whether you’re working on your next documentary film, recording a music video or creating your own audio-autobiography you need top quality sound.
The Mighty Mic and the Loud and Clear Lapel Mic are here to save the day and your audio woes.
“Noted” items are particularly good finds from my daily reading which I share via all my social media accounts.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:05 — 51.5MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Part of the Dog Days of Podcasting…
More information on Douglas E. Welch and Careers in New Media:
Previously in the Dog Days of Podcasting 2014:
What is the Dog Days of Podcasting?
“Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.
In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.”
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Part of the New Media 101/Blogging 101 series…
A quick clip from this 45 minute presentation — The Why, What and How of Blogging.
Transcript:
Last year for me was the year of visibility. That was my focus for the last year. That was the focus that I was sharing with everyone last year. You can be the best consultant, the best accountant, the best computer person, the best plumber, the best whatever, but if people don’t know what you do, it dos you absolutely no good. you are working a vacuum. Blogging is one way — along with podcasting and online video sharing and other forms of new media to gain visibility for what you do. Ok? The other important part is getting your message out to the people who want to see it and hear it. Too often we rely on other people to get our message out for us. Frankly,that’s because that’s the way technology works. If we wanted to get press coverage, we had to go to — the press. You had to get in the newspapers. You had to get on television. You had to get on radio. You had to get on the talk shows, whatever. That was your only method of getting out to people. For the first time ever in the history of media, as we know it. Since cuneiform tablets said, you know, “Joe is a favorite of the king today” or whatever. We now have the ability to take our message directly to the people who want to hear it.
Previously on New Media 101/Blogging 101:
Come and join me in the garden while I talk of new media consulting, YouTube and more. Strictly an old school, talking podcast today. Off the cuff. Stream of conscience. No editing. Just me, the Zoom H2 and a cooling beverage in the garden.
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Previously in the Dog Days of Podcasting 2014:
What is the Dog Days of Podcasting?
“Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.
In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.”
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The strawberry runner we potted up on July 31, 2014 is already growing on its own, so I moved it to the potting bench and started the same process with another runner today. I hope to create at least 4 plants to start filling in one of our newly retrofitted garden beds.
Check out my collection of gardening essays, “From A Gardener’s Notebook” now available as a Kindle eBook. (You don’t need a Kindle to read it, though. Read it on your PC, Link: http://j.mp/fagnbook
Watch all past episodes of “In the garden…” in this YouTube Playlist
Music: “Whiskey on the Mississippi” by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com)
Please Like this video and/or subscribe to my channel on YouTube.
Your likes and subscriptions directly reflect how many other viewers are suggested this video.
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“In the garden…” is a series for A Gardener’s Notebook highlighting what is happening in my garden, my friend’s gardens and California gardens throughout the seasons.
Working with any client is a dance — or at least it should be. Dancing partners have to learn a lot about each other — how they move, where they move, how they communicate their moves — and working with any freelance client is much the same. Just as when you are learning to dance, there will be mistakes, missteps and a few toes are sure to be stepped upon. It is part of the nature of learning and developing any relationship.
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Now available exclusively to Career Opportunities readers and Listeners.
Still, despite the difficulties, freelancing and working with individual clients can be very rewarding. You have the ability to more directly effect the life and business of a client than you ever would in a larger, more corporate environment. You can develop personalized and unique solutions for their needs. You also learn much about yourself, your work and your own wants, needs and desires. You find your likes, your dislikes, your preferences. You’ll also learn what you do best, what you need to improve and what you need to learn.
It can sometimes feel like a harsh learning environment for you, but despite whatever stress you may feel, it will benefit you greatly. Sometimes the only way we come to understand our skills and expertise is in being forced to exercise them. We have to try — and fail — and succeed — to truly learn our own limits and where our interests lie.
This is another part of the client dance. Many will come to you with one question, but that might lead to other questions in far reaching areas of their life and business. With each question, you will need to decide how much expertise to you can bring to your answer — or, sometimes, if you have any expertise at all.
For example, In my New Media work, I am most comfortable working with the technology and the underlying philosophy of how it can be used to improve a person’s life, career and business. Due to the nature of New Media being used in all aspects of business, though, clients will often start to ask me questions about sales and marketing, business plans, billing, pricing and a host of other topics which are outside my usual areas of expertise. It is important for me to actively defer many of those questions elsewhere.
In any client relationship, I want it to be very clear where my expertise lies. I might offer my personal opinions on these questions, but I am always sure to preface my thoughts with the standard disclaimer, “I am not a (enter expert’s name here)” It is not in my best interest, nor yours, to pretend expertise in something you do not have. In fact, it can greatly damage your relationship with a client if you do. Do not put yourself in the position to disappoint your client. Be honest and clear with them the limits of your own expertise and the client dance will be much easier and more productive.
Sure, you might feel a bit inadequate or fear that the client will think less of you, but I have found over many years that people respect honesty in others and that will far outweigh any perceived inadequacies. They will see your honesty as respect and appreciate it more as your relationship grows. I never want people to feel I have taken advantage of them and this honesty about my expertise is one way of avoiding such situations.
That doesn’t mean you don’t still have a role with that client, though. I have often become a translator of sorts between the client and another consultant. Often clients can’t speak the language of a web designer or programmer. Perhaps I couldn’t help develop the program or site for the client myself, but I can help them communicate their desires to these consultants and translate the consultant’s technical talk into something the client can better understand. This focuses on one of my strengths instead of disappointing my client by claiming expertise that I do not have.
If you are considering freelancing, I hope you will see it — as I do — as a long and complicated dance. Starting the dance can be difficult and fraught with mistakes, but over time you will come to be better partners who can anticipate each other’s movements and needs. It is at this level where the best work, the best products, the best lives are created. Do the client dance well and you are well on the road to building the career you deserve.
***
Ocenaudio Is a Free, Fast, Streamlined Audio Editor via Lifehacker
Windows/Mac/Linux: If you’re looking for a great audio editor, our favorite is Audacity. If you’re looking for something a little faster and trimmer that’s a little more approachable, Ocenaudio is worth checking out. It’s free, flexible, and cross platform, and if light editing is all you need, it gets the job done.
“Noted” items are particularly good finds from my daily reading which I share via all my social media accounts.
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e
A visit to the MacLeod Ale Brewing Co right here in our own neighborhood.
MacLeod Ale Brewing Co
14741Calvert Street, Van Nuys, CA
https://www.facebook.com/MacLeodAl
Previously in the Dog Days of Podcasting 2014:
What is the Dog Days of Podcasting?
“Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.
In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.”
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:19 — 165.0MB) | Embed
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Today it’s time for cornbread to take over to a friend’s house for a BBQ dinner. This recipe, combined with a well-seasoned cast iron skillet makes a great cornbread — fluffy on the inside with a great crispy crust.
To get some of those great collapsible measuring cups as seen in the video, visit this Amazon.com link
Chef’n SleekStor Pinch Pour Collapsible Measuring Cups & Nesting Measuring Spoons Set
Cornbread
Ingredients
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup All-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butterDirections
Preheat oven to 425°
Oil cast iron skillet and place in oven.
Mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder and sugar in bowl. Add eggs, milk and butter. Mix until ingredients just mixed together. Do NOT over mix.
Remove skillet from oven and carefully pour in cornbread mix.
Bake for around 20 mins. Use knife to test for doneness. Knife placed in middle should come out clean.
Immediately remove from skillet and place on wire cooling rack.
Previously in the Dog Days of Podcasting 2014:
What is the Dog Days of Podcasting?
“Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.
In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.”
A short interview with Dr. Rosanne Welch (my wife) on the most common mistakes made by beginning screenwriters. (20 min)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (20.5MB) | Embed
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Previously in the Dog Days of Podcasting 2014:
What is the Dog Days of Podcasting?
“Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.
In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.”
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:28 — 151.8MB) | Embed
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Today I show off what’s on the stove for dinner. In this case, it is one of our Recipes in Rotation, Risotto Rosso, a tomato-based risotto with italian sausage.
The original recipe for Risotto Rosso comes from the cookbook, Cucina Rustica by Viana La Place and Evan Kleiman. It is now available new in paperback from Amazon.com and others.
For all of or family Recipes in Rotation, check out this free cookbook, Recipes in Rotation, available via the web or for your iPad using the Cookbook Cafe app.
Previously in the Dog Days of Podcasting 2014:
What is the Dog Days of Podcasting?
“Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.
In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.”
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:19 — 70.6MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Here is my introduction to this years Dog Days of Podcasting Challenge. Join me for the audio, video and photographic podcasts to come each day this month.
What is the Dog Days of Podcasting?
“Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.
In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.”
Looking for a job? There are a host of job listings available on Jobs.WelchWrite.com every day.
Enter the keywords you are searching for and your location to get fresh and focused listings.
Post a Job! $20 for 7 days
Fly is a simple video-editing app that lets you shoot from four iPhones at once via The Verge
There are simple video-editing apps, and then there’s Fly, a new iPhone app that lets you edit a short movie inside literally one screen. Fly works by importing four of your videos into the app’s editor, and then letting you tap on each one to make live cuts and switch between clips instantly. You can add a voice over or background music from your device, and then export your video to post on Instagram or elsewhere. If you’re looking to make something a little more adventurous, Fly also includes “Multi-Cam,” a feature that lets you sync up to four iPhones to all shoot and capture video simultaneously.
“Noted” items are particularly good finds from my daily reading which I share via all my social media accounts.
